


Packing for College

by Nanerich



Series: Peter is growing up [2]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, going off to MIT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21917266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanerich/pseuds/Nanerich
Summary: There is this thing when you have a kid – be it biologically yours, adopted or a mentored-spiderling-turned-quasi-son – that you know is coming but no one really prepares you for: your kid is growing up and you just need to let go.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Peter is growing up [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578526
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Packing for College

There is this thing when you have a kid – be it biologically yours, adopted or a mentored-spiderling-turned-quasi-son – that you know is coming but no one really prepares you for: your kid is growing up and you just need to let go.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“May! Where is my Mini-Tony?”

“Your what now?” Tony sat on Peter’s bed while the kid was packing and was in all honesty watching more than actually helping him. “You have a mini-me?”

“He’s still in the dryer!”. May called back.

“Alright, so I’m guessing it’s not an action figure.”

Peter’s cheeks only flushed a little. “It’s… it’s an Ironmanpillow.”

“Oh really?” Tony felt his eyes lighting up and a big grin spread his face. “You have an Ironmanpillow. Now that… That is adorable. Very good to know, I have to say…”

Defiantly he looked up. “Let it slide or I’ll rename him Steve.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

They locked eyes a little longer, before Peter snorted a laugh and continued stuffing shirts in his bag.

Tony leaned against the wall, getting extremely curious as to the likeness of his fabric counterpart. There were good ones, but those weren’t exactly the rule. The Avengers had started a sort of tradition to gift each other the worst fan products they could find. And for his last birthday, Tony got a formless blob of red, with golden stripes and a blue circle on front… As cute as it was that Peter had a plushie, he really hoped it wasn’t this one.

“Do you have all your toiletries?”

“In the box over there.”

“And bed covers?”

“Yeees.”

“And your chargers.”

“Mr. Stark.” Oh, it was never good, when Peter called him ‘Mr. Stark’… “Is that what you imagine under ‘helping’?” He sounded a little annoyed.

“I think making sure you have everything is a big help!”

“Yeah right.” Grumbling, Peter turned his attention back to his boxes, bags and what to take along.

If he was being honest, Tony didn’t know how to help and didn’t want to push it either. The kid was 18 after all, off to MIT and ready to do his own thing. And he didn’t really need Tony any more, who had no idea how to handle it. Or at least, how to handle it properly… He only met the kid about three years ago, and now he was going to lose him already. Well, not lose, but… Having to let him go, do his own thing.

He knew he wasn’t good at that. KAREN’s safety protocols were still named baby-monitor and training-wheels and with those he was going to send him off to college. If he couldn’t be there to make sure that Peter was safe, at least he should take as much of his tech as possible. It was overkill, definitively, but it was the one way he could do something good for Peter.

“Here, you go, love.” May poked here head in through the door, and threw a red something towards Peter, who quickly put it in the next best box.

“Wait… Is that… is that me? I’ve got to see it.” Smiling expectantly, Tony stretched his hand out towards Peter, who took a deep breath before handing it to Tony.

It was a square pillow, a close-up of the suit’s red and gold chestplates, main focus was on the arc reactor though. His first one was on the front, the next, triangle one on the back.

“Proof, that Tony Stark has a heart.” He couldn’t help but whisper Pepper’s words.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s a nice one.” He handed it back to Peter, who carefully put it back in the box he got it out from.

“Yeah, I think so, too.”

“Where did you get it?”

“From Pepper”, Peter smiled. “It’s one of a kind.”

“Oh really? Why?”

“Because no one else has it?” Confused, Peter looked up.

“No, not that”, Tony laughed, “why did Pepper give it to you?”

“Because I’m such a wonderful human being!” He smiled broadly, scrunching his face together.

“Yeah, no arguments from me there.”

“With Mini-You, I think I’m done. I’ve got everything.”

“Wow.” May stood in the door, looking around the room. “You’re really moving out. Leaving me all alone!”

Peter got up and into her arms. “Well, you still have Happy and Tony and everyone, I’ll be all alone in Boston!”

May wrapped him even tighter. “Ok, maybe don’t go at all?”

“You could be a full-time Avenger”, Tony suggested.

“ Guess, I prefer you going to school after all.”

“May, I understand your worry, but do you really think it’s a good idea to leave me alone at the compound? You have to agree, Peter, that’s not a good idea, me, all by myself?”

“Good point. I’ll tell Pepper to come stay in Boston when you’re being a pain in her ass…”

“Language”, his aunt hissed, more humorous than actually irritated.

“Wow. Really, wow. Maybe you don’t deserve resting your head on my arc reactors after all…” With that, Tony fished the pillow out of the box and pressed it against chest.

“You do realize that I have Avenger-themed PJs, right? And all my tech has a giant Stark-logo on it… So, no matter what, I’ll have you with me, whether you like it or not”, Peter shot back with a smile from cheek to cheek.

Oh, he would miss that little snark-filled, genetically-impossible ray of actual sunshine. “I love you, too, kiddo.”


End file.
